Obesity has become an epidemic over the past years, and it is having a massive impact on our society. 32 percent of children and adolescents are overweight or obese (Haessly). This younger generation is becoming more overweight every single day and the parents have no idea what is going on. They try keeping healthy diets, but that is not entirely possible. It is actually quite close to impossible in certain areas like the inner city where household income is also an issue. Not only that, children cannot get away from the bad food because much of it is received when they go to school (Waters and Heron). It does not matter if it is because of income or just the fact that some people do not have the personal strength to fight all temptations, obesity is a major issue that needs to be diffused.
Many things can be done to help eliminate the national problem of obesity. We can first start by improving the school lunch system that is provided for all students. The article “No Lunch Left Behind”, explains how the lunch program works. It is said that the schools get subsidies for every lunch they sell Waters and Heron). This is excellent if the money was allocated towards continually improving the system, but it does not. A vast majority of the money received by the school does not go towards the lunch program, rather it goes to other things like custodial services, heating and everything in between (Waters and Heron). If the money received through this program was simply allocated towards the investment of further improving the system, it could lead towards less unhealthy meals and healthier students. Investments would include things like improving the school kitchens to better prepare the food. Yes this would cost a decent amount of money, but the end result would allow the students to consume a much better meal.
Another issue that is aiding in the spread of obesity is the fact that the unhealthier foods are much more available than the healthier vegetables. This is due to the fact that places like fast food restaurants are much cheaper, and more convenient to get to. John Hoffman’s HBO documentary, The Weight of the Nation, explains how low income areas have nothing but fast food restaurants to choose from. The location hinders the ability of farmers to sell their products. This could be combated by doing things like adding an extra tax to the unhealthy foods and subsidizing healthier foods like fruits and vegetables. This was proven to work on the documentary when the city brought in food carts that were only allowed to sell fresh fruits and vegetables. If we were to place more taxes on the unhealthy food, they would become less attractive to the consumers because of the jump in costs, causing the people to lean more towards purchasing fresh foods like fruits and vegetables.
The only way this obesity epidemic is going to be solved is by the actions of the government. Many companies who want to help out with this problem can’t because they don’t have the funds to, and unhealthy food companies control the economy and the country with their cheap and convenient foods. Only government can take action to stop this epidemic from getting out of hand. The government needs to take away corn subsidies, and give that money to other farmers who are putting their fruits and vegetables right into the consumers hand. The government also needs to tax the bad foods so that the healthy fruits and vegetables are cheaper than fast food. The proper investing in the school lunch program will also help to mitigate this growing issue.
Works Cited
Thomas, Caroline. “Subsidies on Healthy Foods work to Increase Consumption.” FoodNavigator.com. N.p.,n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.
Would imposing a High Tax on Fast Foods and Other Unhealthy Foods Help Combat Obesity Issues in the U.S.?” The Premier Online Debate Website.N.P., n.d Web. 12 May 2014
Hellmich, Nanci. “U.S Obesity Rate Levels Off, but Still and Epidemic .” USA Today. Grannett, 18 Oct.2013. Web. 11 May 2014
Many things can be done to help eliminate the national problem of obesity. We can first start by improving the school lunch system that is provided for all students. The article “No Lunch Left Behind”, explains how the lunch program works. It is said that the schools get subsidies for every lunch they sell Waters and Heron). This is excellent if the money was allocated towards continually improving the system, but it does not. A vast majority of the money received by the school does not go towards the lunch program, rather it goes to other things like custodial services, heating and everything in between (Waters and Heron). If the money received through this program was simply allocated towards the investment of further improving the system, it could lead towards less unhealthy meals and healthier students. Investments would include things like improving the school kitchens to better prepare the food. Yes this would cost a decent amount of money, but the end result would allow the students to consume a much better meal.
Another issue that is aiding in the spread of obesity is the fact that the unhealthier foods are much more available than the healthier vegetables. This is due to the fact that places like fast food restaurants are much cheaper, and more convenient to get to. John Hoffman’s HBO documentary, The Weight of the Nation, explains how low income areas have nothing but fast food restaurants to choose from. The location hinders the ability of farmers to sell their products. This could be combated by doing things like adding an extra tax to the unhealthy foods and subsidizing healthier foods like fruits and vegetables. This was proven to work on the documentary when the city brought in food carts that were only allowed to sell fresh fruits and vegetables. If we were to place more taxes on the unhealthy food, they would become less attractive to the consumers because of the jump in costs, causing the people to lean more towards purchasing fresh foods like fruits and vegetables.
The only way this obesity epidemic is going to be solved is by the actions of the government. Many companies who want to help out with this problem can’t because they don’t have the funds to, and unhealthy food companies control the economy and the country with their cheap and convenient foods. Only government can take action to stop this epidemic from getting out of hand. The government needs to take away corn subsidies, and give that money to other farmers who are putting their fruits and vegetables right into the consumers hand. The government also needs to tax the bad foods so that the healthy fruits and vegetables are cheaper than fast food. The proper investing in the school lunch program will also help to mitigate this growing issue.
Works Cited
Thomas, Caroline. “Subsidies on Healthy Foods work to Increase Consumption.” FoodNavigator.com. N.p.,n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.
Would imposing a High Tax on Fast Foods and Other Unhealthy Foods Help Combat Obesity Issues in the U.S.?” The Premier Online Debate Website.N.P., n.d Web. 12 May 2014
Hellmich, Nanci. “U.S Obesity Rate Levels Off, but Still and Epidemic .” USA Today. Grannett, 18 Oct.2013. Web. 11 May 2014